Italy’s epic symphonic power metallers, Thy Majestie return with a new singer and a great new concept album - JEANNE D'ARC. My biggest concern with this album was that vocalist Giulio Di Gregorio had replaced long time vocalist Dario Grillo. After hearing the CD my fears are laid to rest. Giulio has a totally different sound...not better, not worse, but easily as good as the former vocalist. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the opportunity to review new Thy Majestie material. I reviewed their last album, HASTINGS 1066 back in 2002! I’ve had JEANNE D'ARC for about 3 months, I’ve heard it a couple times a week since then, and the album is still in rotation!

There are other changes afoot on JEANNE D'ARC besides the change in vocalists. There are a lot less in the way of choirs....big time!!!! The epic feel of the last album is therefore greatly altered. I kind of miss it, but overall the new album is still perhaps their strongest. Also, the prominent female vocal parts are also gone. On the Thy Majesty scale of orchestration, keys, and vocal parts, this one sounds much more straight forward, but on the scale of straight-up metal bands, they still come in as having an abundant amount of orchestration and an epic feel to many songs. As the title suggests this is a concept album about the life of Joan of Arc (Jeanne D'Arc). It’s a fascinating history that most of you should have heard about, if not through reading about it, then at least from one of the movies made about her life (if not check up on it!). Onto the music on the CD…“Maiden of Steel” is the first full song on the CD which is and is typical yet catchy. “The Chosen” is slower paced in comparison and is more melodic vocally with some great work on the chorus. An almost NWOBHM meets speed metal kicks in the beginning of “Ride to Chinon” before it heads into more of a power metal territory. There is a choir at the beginning of “…For Orleans” and this one does have a lot of orchestration, it doesn’t have the same feel as the previous album but is still done excellently. Interludes like “March of the Brave” are killer…they sound like they could fit right into a movie about Jeanne D'Arc! On “Seige of Paris” the vocals sound eerily like Andi Deris (Helloween). Elsewhere, he doesn't, but on that track I'd almost swear that he made a guest appearance on the lines “I'll give you the glory and fame” and “'cause the time is close to the end”…Andi on the fkn spot!

Thy Majestie have done it again. They continue to show that while they swim the same sea as Rhapsody, that they are their own separate musical entity. Why this band hasn’t attained the level of success of Rhapsody is only a matter of marketing. If you like them, and band such as Kamelot, you have got to check these guys out. I hope that there will not be a 3+ year wait between albums next time! We could use a new album of this quality from Thy Majestie every year or so!

Track Listing

1. Revelations
2. Maiden of Steel
3. The Chosen
4. Ride to Chinon
5. ...for Orleans
6. Up to the Battle!
7. March of the Brave
8. The Rise of a King
9. Siege of Paris
10. Time to Die
11. Inquisition
12. The Trial